From Mambo to Boogaloo:
MUSE/IQUE Swings Through Harlem’s Latin Music Revolution

MUSE/IQUE is amid a two-year exploration of key musical moments in America. During its 2025 Make Some Noise: Music and Stories of American Defiance and Hope series, the influences of Transformative American Artists and Thinkers who changed the world are shared. Their latest concert, Like It Like Harlem examined how Latin sounds inspired by Puerto Ricans and Cubans who moved to East Harlem in the mid-20th-century changed the way we think about music to include mambo, salsa, and boogaloo thanks to the power of community to combine cultures through musical expression.

Led by Artistic and Music Director Rachael Worby at the Mark Taper Forum, the program featured a 19-piece MUSE/IQUE orchestra with guest artists Oscar Hernández (the Grammy-winning leader of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and producer for Reuben Blades & Celia Cruz), and featured singers Rogelio Douglas, Jr. and Yvette González-Nacer whose amazing vocals highlighted the passion and power of Latin music. BODYTRAFFIC dancers Joan Rodriguez and Katie Garcia shared mesmerizing Latin dances, with authentic back-up vocals by Francisco Ruiz, Daniela Castellanos Montoya, and Melissa Ocasio Rivera adding marvelous harmonies throughout the performance.

Each selection was accompanied by photos and videos saluting the song’s history and artists, with Worby offering extensive background information accompanied by historical photos and videos to share a detailed representation of its place in the timeline of Latin-flavored American music born in East Harlem.

The evening began with “Oye Cómo Va” by Tito Puente, arranged for MUSE/IQUE by Jose Madera which introduced the audience to the orchestra, singers, and dancers. The Cuban Cha-Cha song was recorded in 1962 featuring Puente on drums. Ten years later, Carlos Santana recorded the song with his own brand of Psychedelic Latin rock, and it became a worldwide hit.

Worby recounted how, from 1945 to 1970, musicians from across the Americas converged in Harlem—a cultural exchange sparked by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 Good Neighbor Policy, first outlined in his acceptance speech as a pledge to strengthen ties with Central and South America.

In 1945, at composer Aaron Copland’s urging, New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia renamed Sixth Avenue the Avenue of the Americas, honoring the nations of North, Central, and South America. The change was meant to symbolize Pan-American ideals, encourage those countries to open consulates there, and inspire New Yorkers to welcome immigrants from those regions—including Duke Ellington, whose jazz orchestra had its roots in East Harlem.

“Caravan” by Juan Tizol was recorded in 1936 featuring his Afro-Columbian style to include big brass and drum sounds, arranged by Mr. Hernández.

Soon Mario Bauza and Dizzy Gillespie were attracted to the sounds coming from Spanish Harlem, combining Cuban and American music into “Night in Tunisia,” written by Dizzy Gillespie and Raymond Laveen, arranged by Rob Schaer. This song featured tenor saxophone, and singers Douglas, Jr. in a white dinner jacket and González-Nacer in an exquisitely sequined and form-fitting purple gown.

“Mambo No. 5” by Dámaso Pérez Prado, arranged by Dan Higgins, featured Rodriguez and Garcia sharing stunning and sexy mambo moves.

Upon his arrival in Miami, 17-year-old Cuban immigrant Desi Arnaz cleaned bird cages, saving $5 to buy a pawn shop guitar. While hanging out in after-hours clubs, he learned to play Congo drums with Xavier Cugat and his band, eventually starting the “Congo Craze” with the release of his recording of “Babalú” by Margarita Lecuona, arranged by Francisco Torres. Worby shared a clip from an awards show during which Arnaz thanked his wife for his successful television career, which opened America’s eyes to how a Latin-American man could be successfully married to an Anglo woman, which of course was true in their real life during the time I Love Lucy was recorded.

Worby reflected on how nothing can stop live music from sparking human creativity and innovation. Led by Douglas Jr., the next section spotlighted the jazz of Nat King Cole, who in 1949 became the first African-American entertainer to appear at Carnegie Hall. Raised in Chicago and later moving to Los Angeles in 1958, Cole found success with his hit “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” by Oswaldo Farrés, arranged here by Jamey Tate and featuring Justo Almario’s jazzy flute stylings alongside vocals by González-Nacer.

Cuban immigrant José Martí moved to New York City in the late 19th century and, in 1965, was honored with a statue where Avenue of the Americas meets Central Park. Lyrics from one of his poems became the basis for “Guantanamera” by Joseíto Fernández, arranged here by Torres and performed as a sing-along with the audience, with González-Nacer joining in on electric violin (!). The beloved song would later be recorded by José Feliciano, Pete Seeger, and Celia Cruz. Feliciano also put his stamp on the Doors’ 1967 hit “Light My Fire” by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore, and Ray Manzarek—arranged here by Tate to spotlight Feliciano’s Cuban psychedelic rock stylings, brought to life by MUSE/IQUE guitarist Michael Abraham.

As Spanish Harlem became known as a Latin music laboratory, the Palladium Ballroom opened on Broadway offering the first dance and music hall to be fully integrated in New York City. Leonard Bernstein often visited with his Chilean wife, and his experiences there inspired his greatest musical, West Side Story about the difficulties faced by Puerto Ricans to get assimilated into mainstream life in New York City.

“Spanish Harlem,” by Mike Stoller (who was in the house!), Jerry Leiber, and Phil Spector, arranged by Tate, pays tribute to the neighborhood also known as “El Barrio”—a place where artists found pride, passion, and possibility on every block. It was here that musicians from across Latin America met, collaborated, and created music that would inspire generations, from street corners to modern recording studio mixing boards. First recorded by Ben E. King, the song was famously reinterpreted by Aretha Franklin, who altered a well-known lyric to “there is a rose in Black and Spanish Harlem”—the version performed here. Aretha was good friends with Celia Cruz, who recorded “Cucurucucú Paloma” by Tomás Méndez, arranged here by Torres with song styling by Gonzalez-Nacer, featuring dance moves by Rodriguez. And FDR would be very proud to know that in 2024, Celia became the first Afro-Latina artist to be honored on an American coin as part of the American Women Quarters Program. “Bemba Colorá,” by Jose Claro Fumero and arranged by Madera, was another Cruz classic, popularized during her 1960s collaboration with Tito Puente.

Then came the rousing finale, “I Like It Like That” by Tony Pabon and Manny Rodriguez, arranged by Schaer. First a 1967 hit for boogaloo musician Pete Rodriguez, it became one of the defining songs of the genre. The audience was urged to get up, sing, and dance as the performers wove through the center of the crowd, dissolving the barrier between stage and seats. It was a closing burst of pure joy—the kind live music pours into our lives—reminding us that rhythm, melody, and movement can unite us as human beings, no matter our differences.

photos by Haoyuan Ren, Courtesy of MUSE/IQUE

Like It Like Harlem
MUSE/IQUE
in association with Center Theatre Group
Mark Taper Forum, 135 N Grand Ave.
played August 8-10, 2025
for tickets, visit MUSE/IQUE

The season concludes with FREE Open House concerts of Made in Memphis (September 12-14 in Pasadena’s Memorial Park) about Stax, Soul and the black artists who started a sound revolution, and Have You Ever Heard of Etta James? which examines the guts and triumph of an American icon (October 14-15 at The Huntngton, 19 at Skirball). The final concert for MUSE/IQUE donors is the STAND BY ME Season After Party, featuring the hits of Leiber and Stoller in November, 2025.